1. Field of the Invention (Technical Field)
The present invention relates to infrared optics and methods of manufacture.
2. Background Art
Infrared (“IR”) detectors and optics (e.g., IR seeker systems in modern weaponry such as “smart bombs”) tend to be complex and expensive. Infrared system raw materials are expensive and processing costs are sometimes prohibitive, especially for weapons that will be destroyed after a single mission. Processes that can reduce the complexity and/or cost of a infrared systems are therefore significant.
Expensive sensors and expensive optics have long plagued infrared imaging systems. IR capability has been shown to be beneficial in military, firefighting, surveillance, night driving, and predictive maintenance applications. However, proliferation of these sensors require that costs be significantly reduced. In line with this goal, uncooled detector arrays have been developed in recent years that are significantly more reliable and lower in cost than their cooled counterparts. For systems based on these sensors, the optics are projected to soon be the most expensive component, if alternatives to conventional materials and fabrication techniques cannot be found. Conventional materials include Germanium, Silicon, Zinc Selenide, Zinc Sulfide, and others. Conventional fabrication techniques include grinding, polishing and diamond-point turning.
Reflective and refractive optics have been used for seeker optics. Diamond turned mirrors are relatively inexpensive, however the field of view of a reflective system is small. By increasing the number of mirrors or corrector elements, the field of view may be increased. However this leads to higher cost and/or packaging problems.
The present invention provides lens elements made of low cost infrared material that can be diamond turned or ultimately molded as a single component, resulting in a significant cost savings.